Vaboratory values

[OMG212]

This a question for whoever has already passed the Nclex test.

I'm studying Laboratory values. I'm talking about everything, electrolytes, enzymes, blood gases, thyroid studies, etc, etc....

In the begining I thought that I didn't have to memorize all normal values, but when I'm taking practice test there are a lot of questions about this.

What is going to happen in the real test? Are they going to ask a lot of numbers and normal values? In USA when you have a laboratory report, It hasn't what are the normal values in front of the patient value?

Please, I need help - this is driving me crazy.

I'm sorry for my english.

Bye!! and thank you guys!!

[GottaBeanRN]

HI there,

I am also studying for NCLEX. Ever since my first day of nursing school, I have been told to memorize all lab values. You definetley need to know them for the boards. They will not ask you upfront questions about them but you will need to recognize normal and abnormal values in order to implement your nursing care. My suggestion... know all your values! Good Luck

[LPN01112005]

On NCLEX-PN I had several questions wherein I needed to know certain lab values. Sodium values came up several times, and also normal WBC and Hgb and Hct. I didn't have any questions on alkalosis vs. acidosis, but I knew those values just in case. A couple of my classmates had questions where they had to chose between metabolic acidosis, metabloic alkalosis, respiratory acidosis or respiratory alkalosis.

I'm gonna be honest with you, as far as knowing ALL the normal values, I didn't. Specifically, I didn't memorize the cardiac enzyme levels and such, but I did learn the ones I saw over and over again on practice tests at school and the one's I'd seen ordered often in clinical.